Reviews by damndirtyape:

Appearance: Dark and cloudy cola brown beer with a light tan head, a persistent 1/16" thick after dying down from a 1/4" start. Delicate but persistent and extensive lacing noted in islands and strands. Really surprised me with how dark it was upon pouring.

Taste: Sweet malt dominates with more of the fruit flavors (plums, maybe sour cherries) and some caramel notes. Surprisingly crisp and clean finish with all that sweetness going on. Not cloying - just well on the sweet side of things but with my sweet tooth this is fantastic.

Mouthfeel: Crisp spicy carbonation on the tongue followed by a very smooth beer gliding over the tongue and down easily. The carbonation is lingering a bit on the tongue after the swallow, so while it cleanses the palate, it's maybe a bit too scouring. But that smoothness of the beer - wow that's good.

Drinkability: Oh man is this a dangerous one. The alcohol is so well hidden I could see having two of these in no time and then realizing how much alcohol I've just had. I could drink this all on its own but in this case, I had it with a meal, which it went really well with - cinnamon + curry beef stew over couscous. I could easily have this again and again. Amazing beer.

More User Reviews:

Smell  Typical aroma for the style. The dark fruits come out at first, followed closely by the big, dark, bready yeast scents. This is a beautiful fragrance.

Taste  The yeast comes out even bigger here. It is a wonderful flavor, and complimented well by the fruits from the smell. Prunes, raisins, plums, and overly-ripe apricots meld with some banana and tobacco for an excellent flavor.

Behind this comes the yeasty bread. If youve ever made fresh bread and taken a taste of the yeast and sugar mix before all the flour is added, this is it. A baker would appreciate this flavor. It is absolutely phenomenal.

Mouthfeel  I like the big carbonation of this brew, but it may be just a tad off style. But, in the end, this feels great.

Drinkability  The big carbonation slows one down a bit, but this is a work of art.

Comments - Its hard to overachieve in this category, but Unibroue has once again come up with a winner.

Update  I reviewed this initially with a 2003 and thought it would be interesting to review a 2004 vintage. This beer just blows me away. I cant believe that its not brewed in Belgium. I just love so many things about it, but that dark yeast flavor just puts me in heaven. I juggled some ratings around to include upping the Drinkability to a perfect 5.0.

Pours a very dark, murky, swampy brown color, completely opaque. Some very minor hints of ruby can be seen when held up to direct lighting. A very fine-bubbled, beige head forms with decent retention, though lacing is minimal at best. One whiff of this stuff and it's very clear that it's a Belgian style ale. Belgian yeast abound, hints of dark, fruity esters, light banana, spices, clove, plums, and mild phenol. The aroma isn't nearly as strong, sweet, or abundant as many other BSDAs, which is somewhat of a let down. Naturally, things get a little better as it warms up, but I was still expecting a bigger punch out of this one.

The taste matches the nose quite well - earthy esters, dirty, slightly musky hop bitterness, sweet prunes and dates, spicy yeast, clove, pumpernickel and rye toast, light caramel-like malts, very faint molasses and sugar. Some grape skin flavors are there as well, which mesh with the alcohol character to produce a wine-like sweetness that comes out at the end. Nice mix of yeasty-fruity with spicy-earthy; there isn't one flavor that severly overpowers any other, so if there's one thing this BSDA does extremely well - it's balance. Much like the aroma, I would've like the flavor to be a bit bigger and bolder. The body was even a little thinner than I would expect for this still, medium at best, with a high amount of carbonation. The aftertastes dies down with some spice grape and apple skin esters erring on the earthy side of things, maybe with a touch of clove and spice.

Maybe I was being a little too critical because I had such high hopes for this beer after many recommendations from friends and such high ratings on this sight. Don't get me wrong, this beer is damn good, balanced excellently, and certainly unique. But it doesn't quite hit "blow-me-away" status. Something I definitely wouldn't turn down if offered, and certainly not bad at only 8$ for a bomber.

Best before 12.12.14. Drank 10.18.14. Poured from a cork and caged bomber into a 12oz Tulip after having warmed up for 15min or so.

A: Pours a dark rose brown, murky, like muddy lake water. One finger of tan head which crackles and fizzles away immediately. I can't say it is the most visually appealing beer in the world, but it has a certain amount of intrigue to it.

S: Oh baby, there it is, there is that Unibroue mastery. Dark fruits up front...raisin, plum, ripe pear, and cherry. If it stopped there that would be satisfying enough, but there is a walloping load of rum and dark chocolate lurking with a smattering of mellow winter spices and sweet malt. The aroma is out of this world, painstakingly complex, but in no way overwhelming.

T: Sweet, almost wine like in its layering and finish. Dark fruit once again, predominately raisin, plum, and fig. Malty, yeasty, with hearty winter spicing. So many strong flavors that the alcohol is nowhere worth giving a damn.

M: Dry and highly carbonated. Similar to a red wine that bounces along the tongue. Chewy, with a smooth, spiced finish. Lingering alcohol warmth, like wrapping up in one of grandma's quilts on a cold fall morning.

O: This beer is a spectacle. It has everything you could want out of the style, and then just shows off for good measure. Quite possibly the pinnacle of Unibroue.

Pours a nice medium brown with a medium sticky head,aroma is sweet and spicey with some alcohol notes.The taste is sweet and and malty with some real nice spicey notes,very clovey and sweet very appetizing.The alchol really comes thru as it warms,a real true belgian stule ale,very appetizing.

Smell: Malty and sweet. A raisiny nose with sweet citrus hints. Lots of over-ripened fruits and a port-like pinch.

Taste: Raosted maltiness with an underlying burnt-sugar sweetness. A chewy, raisin and plum-like quality accompanied with a spicey body. Lingering sweetness on the tongue with hints of port and wooden cask.

Mouthfeel: Very lively and bursting with bubbly falvour. A sweet, cloying finish.

Drinkablility: A nice beer but not somethig i would have everyday. To me this is a sweeter, less spicey version of Maudite.

Floral. This beer is very flowery. Jasmine, Coriander, and Asparagus? This is very interesting. The bouquet is just grand. Taste is mixed berries with a sweet front that gives way to complex tart oak notes. Jasmine wraps the toungue half way through each sip and gives way to a dry asparagus. The color is a brilliant deep brown with amber hues. The head is fairly thin but lasting. Lacing is decent. Carbonation is exceptionally aggressive. Texture is meaty like a rib eye. Drinkability is flawless. This is a dangerous fellow to dabble with. My taste buds wish to consume far more than my kidneys could bare. Well done.

LOOK (4/5) Pours a very dark, almost black mahogany brown - when held to the light, it shows itself to be almost 33*SRM. It's very opaque for the style. Two and a half fingers of off-white, mousy head is given off the pour. This lasts a long time, but fell with little lacing. Some nice carbonation was seen.

SMELL (4.5/5) The smell is dominated by yeast-aromatics with a lot of malt, but it has a drier finish to it. Melanoidin character is not as strong as others of this style and I get a bit more roasty or chocolate notes. Yeast aromatics are strong and they have a character that is hard to describe, but which is typical in Unibroue products. It has some of the following notes: spices (peepper, not clove); a hint of banana; a hint of grape; and a bit of bubblegum. In any event it sets of the melanoidins well. A bit of alcohol warmth.

TASTE (4.5/5) Similar to the smell. The maillard flavors are a bit stronger on the palate and it works well with the yeast. As for the yeast, the pepper is a bit stronger in the flavor than in the nose and this helps make a drier finish (maybe a hint of harder water?). Some alcoholic warmth on the finish.

FEEL (3.5/5) This was the only part that I had a problem with. The feel was a bit too light on both the body and carbonation fronts. A bit of a more substantial body might have worked well with the flavors.

DRINK (4/5) The lighter body makes this a bit more drinkable, though. I like the flavors so much, but they're a bit too dark for a good session. Really tasty, though!

T: again not too sweet; yeasty and complex, but not as complex as La Fin Du Monde; a little fruity but not in a fresh way (definitely aged)

M: thin; not sticky; clean finish that's unusual with such a strong beer

D: very drinkable for something that looks and tastes so intense; I could have three

I liked this quite a bit. My only real complaint would be, "not as good as La Fin Du Monde"! I prefer the golden cloudy yeastiness of La Fin. This is much darker, but not thicker or more filling. A very nice beer. I would definitely get this again as part of a mixed six, and I'd like to try it on tap if ever I see it.